IPL 2021 | IPL is all about results and we couldn’t have asked for a better start, admits Eoin Morgan

Despite losing the toss, Kolkata Knight Riders were left unfazed in the first innings, where Nitish Rana brushed aside any signs of rustiness, with a 56-ball 80, where he smoked the Sunrisers bowlers to all parts of the ground. Alongside Rahul Tripathi, the duo put on a 93-run stand, where Tripathi scored 53 runs to take KKR to a powerful total of 187 after the first innings. 

In a tournament where every game is valuable, especially after the Knight Riders were eliminated last year, on the back of their bad NRR, KKR got off to the best start possible. Post the 10-run win, KKR skipper Eoin Morgan admitted that IPL is all about results and insisted that he couldn’t have asked for a better start, against tough opposition. 

“It was a tight game against a really tough side. There's a huge amount of thought and structure that goes into decisions on the field. We've got a great head coach and support staff. The IPL is all about results. I think guys buying in to what we are trying to do,” Morgan admitted in the post-match presentation.

Morgan credited the efforts of the Indian duo of Tripathi-Rana, who turned the game in KKR’s favour, with a scintillating display in the middle-overs despite SRH having one of the best bowlers in the form of Rashid Khan. 

“Delighted. The build up to the tournament has been pretty good. The camp before the tournament, the guys seemed to gel really well. I thought it was magnificent the guys batted today at the top of the order in particularly, Nitish and Tripathi,” he added.

In the bowling department too, the Knight Riders got themselves off to a great start, seeing the back of David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha early in the innings, post the third over. While Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey gave them a few jitters, Andre Russell’s perfect execution in the death ensured an easy win for the Knight Riders, who move to second place on the table. 

“And the bowling too, couldn't have asked for a better start. Bhajji starting really well in the first over and not playing a part after that but using his experience to guide the others just shows that. Really happy with the start. We were very happy with our score, we thought if we bowled half-decently well we should get over the line.”